Rev War Revelry: 18th Century Military Strategy on the eve of the New York Campaign of 1776

Although the New York Campaign of 1776 was not General Nathanael Greene’s finest moments during the American Revolutionary War, he did rebound and become one of the premier military strategists by the end of the conflict. His views, learned on the field of battle, the bustle of various headquarters, and the countless miles of riding and marching on campaign was summed up when he wrote the following.

“Don’t be surprised if my movements don’t correspond with your Ideas of military propriety. War is an intricate business, and people are often saved by ways and means they least look for or expect.”

Military strategy, tactics, and the war that unfolded will be the topic of discussion on our Facebook page for Sunday, July 26, and the next “Rev War Revelry.” If you miss it, check out our YouTube and podcast channels as the program will be uploaded there next week. This program will also mark the debut of the newest full-time contributor and historian with Emerging Revolutionary War, Ben Powers. Although this “Revelry” will be taped, we wanted to give a bit more background about Ben, what he has written and projects moving forward. That way you can fill the comment section with questions about both military strategy and our newest blog historian. Ben had the following to say.

“I’m honored to share a few exciting milestones in my work with Emerging Revolutionary War.

Over the past several months, I’ve had the privilege of contributing a growing body of research to ERW, including:

• “Nathaniel Greene: Washington’s Strategist or Pioneering Operational Artist” (November 2025)
• “The Attack and Defense of the Chew House: British Professionalism at Germantown” (March 2026)
• “Brave, Meritorious, Unrewarded Kirkwood”: Unrecognized Valor in the Continental Army (April 2026)
• Review of The Wandering Army: The Campaigns That Transformed the British Way of War by Huw J. Davies (April 2026)
• “Embattled Farmers or Continentals?” (July 19, 2026)

In June, Emerging Revolutionary War welcomed me as a regular contributor. I am grateful to the editors and readers for the opportunity to participate in the outstanding scholarship and public history the organization produces.

I’m also pleased to be working with the ERW team on an upcoming volume to the Emerging Revolutionary War Series that will center on Race to the Dan/Guilford for the 250th. This is a long-term project, but I am looking forward to the journey.

Whether you’re interested in Revolutionary War history, military leadership, or operational art, I hope you’ll join us for the conversation.

Thank you to everyone who has read, shared, commented on, or challenged my work. As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, I look forward to continuing to learn, write, and contribute to the field.”

ERW Welcomes Ben Powers

Emerging Revolutionary War welcomes our newest full-time contributor and historian, Ben Powers. We asked Ben to give our readers some insight into his interest in the American Revolutionary War Era. Get to know Ben below!


1. What inspired you or “hooked” you on wanting to study, write, and learn more about the American Revolutionary Era?

I attended the Bicentennial celebration of the Battle of Lexington as a very young boy, and I was hooked from the get-go. With parades, laying of flowers at memorials, demonstrations of period soldiers, and tours of historic buildings, it was better than Christmas.

2. What is your favorite topic to read about?

I’m a Massachusetts native, so anything about the Revolutionary-era Boston piques my interest immediately.

3. Is there one person or aspect of the war you feel is overshadowed and needs more attention?

Bernardo de Gálvez and the Gulf Coast campaign deserve more attention, although Robert Buccellato & Kartik Krishnaiyer, and Joshua Provan have produced some very good recent scholarship on the Florida campaigns.     

4. Favorite battlefield or historic site of the era?

Minuteman National Historical Park and Battle Road have a special place in my heart, but my favorite historic site is the Long Room at Fraunces Tavern.

5. Favorite person from the era?

Benjamin Lincoln. He was no Henry Knox or Nathaniel Greene, but he didn’t try to be. He did his duty to the best of his ability.

6. Favorite book about the American Revolutionary War era? 

I’ve changed my mind five times trying to answer this question. I finally asked myself: if I could keep only one book on the subject from my library, I would pick George Washington’s Generals and Opponents: Their Exploits and Leadership, edited by George Athan Billias. Since that’s an anthology of essays, some might accuse me of cheating, but I stand by my choice!

Rev War Revelry: Gwynn’s Island and the Defeat of Lord Dunmore in Virginia

Between July 8 and July 10, 1776, battle raged once again in Virginia. Andrew Lewis and patriot soldiers from Virginia engaged John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, naval squadron as well as British loyalist troops. Join friend of ERW and historian Patrick Hannum as he recounts the events that led up to this dramatic moment and explores the actions that took place during the battle in this ERW Revelry. Patrick will also share with us details about the upcoming 250th anniversary commemoration being held this July.

This Rev War Revelry will be pre-recorded and posted to our Facebook page at 7pm. Then reposted to our Spotify and You Tube Channels.

Thomas Jefferson’s Map of Gwynn’s Island, showing locations of Dunmore and Virginia forces. Courtesy of Library of Congress

The Adams Book Club: “Atlas of Independence” by Chris Mackowski

Emerging Revolutionary War is pleased to partner with the Adams Memorial Foundation to share some reading about America’s “Founding Family.” The Foundation holds a monthly book club, hosted by Board President Jackie Cushman. In special arrangement with the Adams Memorial Foundation, ERW is sharing links to the first few conversations from that book club.

The next book highlighted in our series is Atlas of Independence: John Adams and the American Revolution by ERW’s own Chris Mackowski.

Continue reading “The Adams Book Club: “Atlas of Independence” by Chris Mackowski”

The Adams Book Club: “John Adams: Party of One” by James Grant

Emerging Revolutionary War is pleased to partner with the Adams Memorial Foundation to share some reading about America’s “Founding Family.” The Foundation holds a monthly book club, hosted by Board President Jackie Cushman. In special arrangement with the Adams Memorial Foundation, ERW is sharing links to the first few conversations from that book club.

The next book highlighted in our series is John Adams: Party of One by James Grant (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005).

Continue reading “The Adams Book Club: “John Adams: Party of One” by James Grant”

The Adams Book Club: “Remembering John Adams” by Marianne Holdzkom

Emerging Revolutionary War is pleased to partner with the Adams Memorial Foundation to share some reading about America’s “Founding Family.” The Foundation holds a monthly book club, hosted by Board President Jackie Cushman. In special arrangement with the Adams Memorial Foundation, ERW is sharing links to the first few conversations from that book club.

The next book highlighted in our series is Remembering John Adams: The Second President in History, Memory and Popular Culture by Marianne Holdzkom (McFarland, 2023).

Continue reading “The Adams Book Club: “Remembering John Adams” by Marianne Holdzkom”

The Adams Book Club: “Making the Presidency” by Lindsay M. Chervinsky

Emerging Revolutionary War is pleased to partner with the Adams Memorial Foundation to share some reading about America’s “Founding Family.” The Foundation holds a monthly book club, hosted by Board President Jackie Cushman. In special arrangement with the Adams Memorial Foundation, ERW is sharing links to the first few conversations from that book club.

The next book highlighted in our series is Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic by Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky (Oxford, 2024).

Continue reading “The Adams Book Club: “Making the Presidency” by Lindsay M. Chervinsky”

The Adams Book Club: “John Quincy Adams, A Man for the Whole People” by Randall B. Woods

Emerging Revolutionary War is pleased to partner with the Adams Memorial Foundation to share some reading about America’s “Founding Family.” The Foundation holds a monthly book club, hosted by Board President Jackie Cushman. In special arrangement with the Adams Memorial Foundation, ERW is sharing links to the first few conversations from that book club.

The next book highlighted in our series is John Quincy Adams, A Man for the Whole People by Randall Woods (Dutton, 2024).

Continue reading “The Adams Book Club: “John Quincy Adams, A Man for the Whole People” by Randall B. Woods”

The Adams Book Club: The Unexpected Abigail Adams by John L. Smith, Jr.

Emerging Revolutionary War is pleased to partner with the Adams Memorial Foundation to share some reading about America’s “Founding Family.” The Foundation holds a monthly book club, hosted by Board President Jackie Cushman. Over the next few days, in special arrangement with the Adams Memorial Foundation, ERW will share links to the first few conversations from that book club.

We’ll kick things off with a conversation between Jackie and historian John L. Smith, Jr., about his book The Unexpected Abigail Adams: A Woman ‘Not Apt to be Intimidated’ (Westholme, 2024).

Continue reading “The Adams Book Club: The Unexpected Abigail Adams by John L. Smith, Jr.”

The Adams Book Club: An Introduction

Emerging Revolutionary War is pleased to partner with the Adams Memorial Foundation to share some reading about America’s “Founding Family.”

The Adams Memorial Commission is the Congressionally approved organization tasked with supporting the creation of a memorial in Washington, D.C., to John Adams and his family. The Adams Memorial Foundation is tasked with assisting with the fund-raising and public education aspects of that effort. As part of the Foundation’s work to raise awareness about the project—and about the Adams family—Board President Jackie Cushman hosts a monthly book club.

As we prepare to kick off our book club series with the Foundation, I spent a few minutes chatting with Jackie about the book club and about the Adams Memorial Foundation in general:

Over the next few days, ERW will share links to the first few conversations from Adams Memorial Foundation’s book club. We hope you’ll enjoy the excellent reading as much as we do!